Her name. Her story. An inspiration worth carrying.
Who makes your life richer? The woman who encourages you to think bigger, brings people together, or shows you what courage looks like in everyday life.
Tell us about her. Your nomination could make her the namesake of our next Sapahn design, with a bag for each of you.
Meet the women who’ve inspired our bags.
Throughout the years, we've invited our community to nominate someone whose strength, story, or spirit deserves to be carried forward. From quiet champions to bold trailblazers, these women have left their mark—not just on those who love them, but now on our designs, too.
Name that Bag 2017 winner
NORA TOTE
Our Nora tote bag is named after the mother of one our customers. Her daughter Margo, said:
“Nora has a heart of gold, a career of service, a spirit of adventure, and a steadfast belief in the power of empathy, qualities that mirror the philosophy of Sapahn. Nora grew up riding horses on a farm in Nebraska, went to law school, raised five kids, and decided to get her first passport at the age of 60 to go visit her daughter in Mozambique in the Peace Corps. Margo tries to live by Nora's abiding belief that you just have to put yourself in someone else’s shoes to start to understand one another.”
Name that Bag 2019 winner
JORI CROSSBODY
Jori was nominated by Meg Hasselbach, (founder and owner of Paper Kite) with the following:
"She’s the hardest working woman I know. She's an inspiration. When she opened the doors to Pattino Shoes, she opened the door for so many other women. She's inspired many others, myself included, to take a risk and own a small business. She’s been in business over 17 years and still does it with such integrity, creativity and compassion. Not to mention she's the most stylish lady in town!"
Name that Bag Spring 2024 winner
LILY CROSSBODY
Our Lily Crossbody is named after the daughter of one our customers. Her mom Suzanne, said:
“Lily was a straight A student, a star athlete, and on student council when a blow to the head in a basketball game changed everything. Initially diagnosed with mental health issues and heavily medicated, she started struggling in school, gave up sports, was hospitalized several times and her relationships with others suffered. When her mom went to work at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital, she was tested and finally diagnosed as having a traumatic brain injury. Since then she has done hours and hours of work with physical, occupational, vision, and speech therapists, and persevered to graduate from high school AND college, get married, buy a house and she just had a beautiful baby named Greta. Her understanding for what a person with disabilities goes through has led her to work with children and adults as a special education paraeducator, an Easter Seals Camp counselor and camp director, Special Olympics volunteer, a member of i2choir, serves as one of the directors for the Penguin Project at the Lincoln Community Playhouse for the last ten years, and she proudly serves on the board of directors at HopeSpoke. In 2014, she did a TEDxLincoln talk to share her journey. She has GRIT, she is BRAVE, she is AMAZING and her dad and I are so proud of her.
Name that Bag Fall 2024 winner
DOMINIQUE SLING BAG
Dominique was named after a local leader here in Nebraska. Here is what her nominator, Stasi, said:
“This woman fights for what she believes in and, more importantly, fights for the rights of those who are marginalized. She leads the BGC of Lincoln as CEO and is providing the youth of Lincoln with programs that keep them busy, engaged, and prosperous. She’s a force!!"
Name that Bag 2025 winner
KELLY
For Kelly Ross, supporting women takes shape in the everyday work of showing up. As the founder of ECHO Collective and Sapahn’s 2025 Name That Bag honoree, she helps women turn possibility into something they can build a life around. In her nomination, Hayley described Kelly guiding a refugee woman through launching her first business, helping someone navigate life in a new language, and listening with care and intention. Across these moments, the same qualities shine through: kindness, humility, and a wholehearted belief in other women’s potential.
“She’s the kind of person who shows up wholeheartedly for women from every walk of life, culture, and story,” Hayley wrote. That spirit is why we are proud to have a Sapahn bag carry Kelly’s name. Her story reminds us how far our influence can reach when we share our knowledge, offer our time, and help someone take her next step. Celebrating Kelly gives that example room to travel, inspiring each of us to consider what we might make possible for another woman.
